Modern computer systems typically use a mix of short-term and long-term storage systems. Data that is needed for current operations may be stored in short-term storage such as, for example, computer memory or disk drives. Data that is not needed for current operations such as, for example, archival or backup data, is typically stored in long-term storage on magnetic tapes. Access to data on magnetic tapes can be very slow, not only because the magnetic tape must be physically placed in the tape drive before it can be accessed, but also because a magnetic tape is typically organized in a sequential manner. Because of this, one of the largest factors for accessing data on a mounted magnetic tape is seeking to the proper read position. Data stored on a magnetic tape may be written as it is received. In the case of a computer system that is streaming data to tape from multiple sources such as occurs when the magnetic tape storage is used in a distributed computer system, a single data set may be stored across multiple locations on the magnetic tape. The more distributed a set of data is on a magnetic tape, the more seek time is required, leading to slower speeds of access to the data.